Travel is for the Gohemians of the world. It's all about the GoGo not the staying put. So let's GoGo! | Advice and inspiration for travellers, adventurers and general go-getters | Look beyond the 9 to 5 and be happy, be a Gohemian!

We decided it was about time we had some interviews on here from Gohemians already on the road or who’ve been, done it and inspired the rest of us! God bless these Goho souls! First up is the delightful Canadian wondergirl Tracey Tully, who I am fortunate enough to have been living/troublemaking with for a while now. 😉

Tracey is 27, originally from Petrolia, Ontario, and she loves Guinness (preferably in Ireland itself), Jim Morrison, sushi, firemen’s lifts and snowboarding.

Her adventuring has continued to inspire me (and make me impatiently jealous at the same time) and so will hopefully inspire you too. Wait til you hear how much she’s covered! So without further ado please welcome….MISS TRACEY TULLY *APPLAUSE!!!*

GT – Can you sum up your journey so far Tracey?

TT – I first came over to London mid-September of 2010 and did a roadtrip through Scotland right away. Then we drove through France and Belgium to make it to Holland, where I stayed for 2 weeks with a Dutch family. I spent one night in Amsterdam then returned to London, staying there until November.

I then returned home to get my working visa for the UK. Since then I’ve ventured to a different place every month.

December – Andorra, January – Bulgaria, February/March – Eygpt and Jordan, April – Portugal, May – Greek Islands boat tour, June – Dublin with some great girls (see: https://gohemiantravellers.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/diggin-on-dublin), July – Pamplona for the running with the bulls…I’m still planning on doing something for August but haven’t decided where yet. 😉

GT – What first compelled you to leave everything behind and go adventuring?

London

TT – I had wanted to travel the world for years, putting it off like so many do, out of the initial fears of doing it on my own and thinking I couldn’t afford to. Then I broke and moved out to Banff, away from my hometown (I needed a change and decided to go to either Australia, Ireland or Banff). I had waited too long to sort out the visas and documents for the others, so Banff won. When I got there, most people living there, had a story…why they were there, where they had been before, where they were going next, their dreams. I realised I was not so different from these people. The main difference was, they were taking action on their travelling dreams and I was at a stand still. Then I met Dan (our other room-mate 🙂 ), who at this point, had been travelling for nearly a year. With all his travel stories, I was finally convinced I could do it.

GT – What were your initial fears before you left? Did they just wear off after a while?

TT – My initial fears were definitely thinking that I couldn’t do it on my own. And although I haven’t travelled completely on my own yet (besides random flights to destinations/home) I’m looking forward to doing more of it. It’s only been because I’ve been blessed with great and available company! At this point I am more than confident to do it on my own and all my fears have melted away.

GT – Biggest highlight of the trip so far?

TT – I LOVED EYGPT! The history, the pyramids, the sphinx, the Nile…it was so much fun! But as amazing as it was to see all of those iconic things, my major highlight was definitely the running of the bulls/San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Spain. Waiting in the small cobblestone streets in the city, hearing the rush of the hooves and screams coming my way, before taking off in a desperate sprint – it was unlike anything I have ever experienced. It made me change my outlook on life, I think I’m a bit of an adrenalin-seeker now! It was so crazy and I was very proud to be a female taking part in it (local women do not usually join in, and it is thought to be frowned upon a little in Spanish society).

GT – What are you looking forward to seeing/doing in the future?

Tracey Tully...snow angel

TT – I’m really looking forward to the ski season I will be spending in Meribel, in the French Alps this year (from November). Getting to know the Alps, hopefully learning some French, snowboarding and (my favourite bit of living in a tourist destination) meeting all the various people from different parts of the world.

GT – Do you ever see the journey ending?

TT – I’m not sure when my journey will end, I don’t see an end any time soon. With time, my drive to continue on and see more, is only getting stronger.

GT – Lessons Learnt?

Felucca

TT – In your travels, always do what YOU want to do, in the location you’re at. It sounds selfish but if you are travelling with others it is easy to push something you want to do, aside for someone else’s wishes. You never know when or if you will end up back at that location so never pass something up that you have pictured as part of your journey, even if it means doing it on your own!Another lesson is travel plans change!! As you change your surroundings, you are bound to change as well. New goals, new values come into play. Be spontaneous and open to change. I’ve found the best part about the travellers’ life is not knowing where you will be at this time next year (sometimes even this time next month/week). Don’t get stressed, enjoy the freedom of it all 🙂

GT: Worst experience?

Jordan

TT: I was coming back into Egypt from Jordan. This was just after Mubarek, the Egyptian president stepped down, and the riots were just calming. There was a 12pm curfew for the road leading back into Cairo. I was on a Travel Talk tour and they did not book us enough time to get home. With 2 hours to make a 3 hour trip our driver was driving 145km/hour down twisting desert roads, with random construction barriers throughout at night. We made it to the first check point at midnight and the military fully searched our van before letting us through. We thought we were home safe until there was another check point, at which the military told us we could not continue because there were no police beyond this point at this time of night, and there would be pirates waiting on the other side for anyone who dared to make the trip. So we were stuck between two military check points with only a grungey roadside stop/restaurant, that had plenty of military and random weary looking locals wandering in and out at all times. Luckily our group of 4 had spent a couple nights on a felucca boat sailing down the Nile which had required us to bring our sleeping bags. So with sleeping bags in hand, we found restaurant benches to lay on, covered in food crumbs and surround by rat poop. It was the sketchiest place I have ever slept but was definitely part of the adventure 😉

GT: A travel memory that makes you smile? 🙂

San Fermin

TT: After making into the arena from running of the bulls, I was standing on the inside ledge of the fence, to get a better view of where the bull was running around in the arena. I asked a girl who had perched beside me if she had any interest in getting off the fence to go and touch one of the bulls. Only the men were doing this and many of them ended up trampled, bowled over, or completely launched by the bull in their attempts. She replied with no interest and asked me the same. I told her I wanted to because I was when would I find myself here again? But I admitted I could not get my foot to step off the ledge no matter how many times I counted to 3. Just after this conversation, a bull was sweeping the sides of the fence, knocking people out of it’s path, when it veered and just walked infront of us. The bull then backed his rear right to our legs and stood still. I looked at her, shrugged my shoulders and we both leaned forward giving the bull a nice pat, like you would a dog. I threw my hands in the air in celebration and screamed I touched the bull! So funny.

GT: How have you found finding work as you go?

TT: Finding work in London was actually quite easy for me. You just have to be open to any job and know that it’s not permanent, it will only be another experience along the way.

GT: Tell us about travel friendships, have your found it easy meeting new people?

Birthday fun!

TT:Travelling and friendships is always tough because usually being a traveller you attract other travellers. So somewhere down the line you will be saying goodbye to them. I have had to say good bye to quite a few people in the last few years. When I lived and worked in Banff almost everyone I met was Australian, so I have been saying good bye to good friends, well before my proper travels began. It’s tough but I have made a lot of great connections, that I know, I will catch up with at some point. The best thing about meeting other travellers along the way is sharing your experiences and learning new locations or events that you must attend! There will always be ups and downs with this. You’ll find you have found a great new person or maybe a great many people one month and the next you’re saying goodbye and starting from square one. The thing to remember about this is you will always have travel connections in other countries through out the world. My obvious toughest goodbye is the upcoming one that I am loathing. Saying good bye to you and Freya. I know its not good bye, its farewell for now, but in the short time we’ve lived together, you girls have made me feel like I’ve known you forever and yet I still learn knew things about you or from you everyday. You’ve both been an amazing support and inspiration for me to get out there and get what I want in this world! I’m still working on it, but I’ll always have you in mind to push me on!So yes- friendships for the traveller are something to look forward to because they may at times be short lived, but they are almost always very powerful.

We miss you Sarah!

GT: (I am tearing up now ;( – this girl really is amazing!! Our goodbye will be killer) But back to the questions, so can girls rock and roll it travelling alone in your opinion?

TT: Girls can totally rock the travelling on their own! ”The world is your oyster” – this is a saying specifically for the ladies, because everything is what you make of it and who doesnt want a pearl!? 😉

GT: If you could have transported yourfamily to a location/event while you were there, which would it have been & why?

TT: It would have been Ireland…because of our Irish heritage my family is always speaking of how they would love to see the Emerald Isle! Other than that I would love to bring my dad to Paris, he shares the same love that I do for the Eiffel Tower, Catacombs, the Louvre and Jim Morrison’s grave!

GT: If you could have transported all yourfriends to a location/event while you were there, which would it have been & why?

TT: I would have brought them all to running of the bulls, besides being an adrenaline-pumping crazy thing to do, it is also a 5 day party that opens up with a huge celebration, where everyone covers each other in champagne and sangria! So much fun! I do however want to attend La Tomatina next year with some friends and my sister! (the giant tomato fight held every August in Spain!!) I think I just like the messy things in life!

POW!

GT: What qualities does it take to be a Gohemian (like yourself)?

TT: Well first of all I am extremely flattered that you have classified me as a Gohemian!! I love it! I think a person could have many qualities and be able to do all this, the main thing that needs to happen is to have the realization in life that it’s possible! You have to be open. Open to new things, new cultures, a new life, and CHANGE! I am not an organized well-seasoned traveller… But I am very laid back and easy going, so it works for me because I don’t allow myself to be stressed over changes in plans. You have to keep in mind that this is YOUR journey, so do all that you can and don’t look back, unless you left your passport at the cafe where you met that cute guy… then you have to go back 😉

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About gohemians

I'm Emma, I'm 29 and I am a Gohemian.
I am fueled by my passion to travel all over the world and to help others reach their dreamy, sparkly goals (no matter how scary they are).
GohemianTravellers celebrates ambition, personal development and happiness and offers bucket loads of advice to travellers and quarter-life crisis survivors (just like me)!
Life is all about the GoGo! So let's GO!

So moved by this interview Tracey!! you really are a special girl and I’m so thrilled that I got to spend that gorgeous weekend with you in London!!!! Em, this blog amazes me every time. I’m sat at my computer writing up my memories as we speak 😀 It’s an emotional task i can tell you. love to you both XXXXXXXXXX